Board Endorses Forums To Address Airport Issues

CHATHAM – The town’s airport has been a vector for controversy for years, especially during the four years that a skydiving company operated out of the facility and more recently with the growing use of the airport by large turboprop aircraft.

 The select board is proposing a series of public forums to bring together airport critics, other residents, the airport commission, Federal Aviation Administration and state transportation officials to help foster dialogue and address concerns around the George Ryder Road airport.

 The airport operations contract also expires soon, and some select board members want more say in how a new agreement is structured.

 While airport commission Chair Huntley Harrison advocated for holding discussions within the commission’s meetings, select board members said there is suspicion of the commission within the community, and a neutral forum, with an unbiased facilitator, would be more appropriate.

 “If it takes a community forum, one or two times or whatever, to kind of open it up a little bit, then we ought to do that,” said board Chair Jeffrey Dykens.

 The FAA recommends two approaches for local towns facing airport concerns, both primarily focused on noise, which has been one of the major issues in Chatham. The Part 150 Noise Compatibility Program is a structured process that involves measuring noise and reviewing airport flight records. 

 Community Roundtable discussions are the second approach recommended by the FAA. It would involve an ongoing, open-ended forum about airport issues with structured membership.

 At its July 28 meeting, the select board opted for a third option, a series of community forums on specific airport topics. State and federal aviation officials would be invited to provide technical assistance and advice.

 A Part 150 Noise Compatibility Program could cost between $150,000 and $400,000, said airport commissioner Leo Eldredge, and the airport might not qualify for federal financial assistance. Harrison said that a noise study was done for the 1986 airport master plan and found decibel levels were not significant enough to warrant further study.

Select board member Randi Potash lives within a mile of the airport and said conversation sometimes has to pause when planes fly overhead.

“It’s noisy,” she said. “We don’t have to spend money to figure that out.”

Board member Dean Nicastro said it would be better to hold a forum on noise “and see where it goes” before proceeding with a formal study.

Board member Stuart Smith, who brought up the subject, said his motivation was to promote more dialogue on the airport.

“The airport’s not going anywhere, and I wouldn’t even advise it going anywhere,” he said. “But there are improvements I feel that need to be done or we’re just going to keep having criticisms forever, and I don’t think that’s necessary.”

The board voted unanimously to ask Town Manager Jill Goldsmith to develop a plan for a series of forums on airport topics, outside of an airport commission meeting, and bring it back to the board for approval.

 The current airport management contract with Cape Cod Flying Circus, Inc. ends at the end of the year. The airport commission has been working with a consultant on revising the contract and developing a proposal to solicit proposals for airport operations.

 The draft agreement is largely unchanged, said Harrison, and would be for a term of 10 years, with a possible 10-year extension. Officials hope to advertise for proposals this month.

 “That’s still a very long contract,” said Smith, who asked that the select board review the agreement in its role as the agency that appoints airport commission members. Nicastro pointed out that that select board doesn’t run the airport.

 “That’s up to the airport commission, per statute here in Massachusetts,” he said. Smith said he doesn’t want the board to run the airport and believes the current operator “runs a pretty good show.” However, he said the board should act in more of a supervisory capacity as it represents the town’s residents.

 Cape Cod Flying Circus runs several businesses out of the airport and collects revenue from others, including the facility’s restaurant. “Airport management is basically done for free,” said commission Vice Chair Michael Cortese. If the town had to hire its own airport manager, it could cost $180,000 to $250,000 annually, he said.

 Resident Elaine Gibbs advocated for the town to run the airport on its own. No other town property is managed by an outside contractor, she said.

 “We probably would have better and more control” in that case, Smith acknowledged, but it would be “a big undertaking.” He encouraged the commission to look for more revenue for the town in the contract renewal process. “I think they need to go further,” he said.